


Saved By the Bell 2: Bells and Whistles

by ApomaroMellow



Series: Bluebell [2]
Category: DOUBLE DECKER! ダグ&キリル | Double Decker! Doug & Kirill (Anime)
Genre: Brainwashing, F/M, Fluff, Forced Marriage, Genderfluid Character, Humor, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Kidnapping, M/M, Romance, Vigilantism, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22092757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApomaroMellow/pseuds/ApomaroMellow
Summary: Kirill has gotten used to being Bluebell. And used to being Doug's boyfriend. But something from Bluebell's past threatens to disrupt their current peace. Can Milla and Kirill resolve it while keeping their identities secret?
Relationships: Derick Ross/Valery Vrubel, Doug Billingham/Kirill Vrubel, Kirill Vrubel & Valery Vrubel
Series: Bluebell [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590232
Comments: 28
Kudos: 478





	1. Origin Story

**Author's Note:**

> i resisted really hard not to call this Saved by the Bell 2: Electric Blue-galoo

Valery saw it every day. Women being harassed on the streets. He heard it on the news. People being mugged and robbed. The police did all they could, but in most situations, they could only handle what happened afterwards. They couldn't meet the demands of crime and prevent every single one from happening. And it broke his heart to see people living their lives always on guard.

Valery waited outside the school to pick up his brother. He was thirteen now and would sometimes protest to being mothered by his older sibling in such a way, but it gave Valery peace of mind. The neighborhood they lived in wasn't the best. But then again, most people didn't rent out cheap apartments to twenty-two year olds raising their teenage brother. Small miracles, he supposed.

"Why can't I go out now?", Kirill complained after having finished his dinner.

"Because the sun is down now", Valery said, washing the dishes. "It's not safe to go out at night."

"You go out at night", Kirill countered.

Valery rolled his eyes. "I've got work. I don't just go out for fun."

"Sometimes you do."

"Sometimes I do", Valery agreed. "But I'm an adult. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, well, if I become a superhero, I can fight on my own", Kirill said, jumping up from his seat. "Yeah! I'll give the bad guys a jab! Then a hook! And they won't know what hit 'em! And then they'll be sorry they ever messed with uh...messed with uh..."

"Kirill the Crusher?", Valery teased.

"Yeah!"

It had been as a mundane conversation as that. But the idea had taken root in Valery's head. Of course, superheroes were the stuff of comics, but why couldn't someone do it in real life? Valery knew how to defend himself from would-be thugs. Why couldn't he protect others and make the streets a safer place for his brother?

The pieces slowly fell into place. Shopping for costume supplies, making sure that Kirill didn't get any suspicions, which was very easy. He was more preoccupied with things like puberty.

And then one night it started.

Milla put her hair up in a ponytail and placed the mask over her eyes. She had put on a blue leotard and accented it with a purple skirt and flats. She looked herself over in the mirror, feeling a little silly once it was all on. But she powered on. The whole point of a costumed hero was to draw attention to themselves anyway. She made sure Kirill was asleep and went off into the night.

Her first night, was rather uneventful. She had kept to the shadows, hoping to catch something, but was never at the right place at the right time, it seemed. Her second night was more successful, saving a woman from a purse-snatcher but not without getting a black eye.

"Where'd you get that shiner?", Kirill asked the next morning.

"Ran into a light pole", Milla answered.

It wasn't easy, working during the day and most nights, helping Kirill with schoolwork, making sure he ate right and doing this vigilante stuff. But Valery found it as an appropriate outlet for his frustrations. Doling out justice while venting about how hard it was to raise a child, make the rent, or anything else going on right that moment.

But it wasn't all punching out anger and saving people. Bluebell started getting attention, both from the media and the law enforcement. The people had fallen in love with her and all the headlines were following her exploits as she got bigger and bigger. Eventually, Milla changed her costume as well, wanting it to reflect her growth. But perhaps the greatest change was the day she met Detective Ross.

Bluebell had tangoed with police before, usually telling her to freeze while she was incapacitating a criminal and getting away just in time. She rarely stayed long enough to chat. She couldn't afford to get arrested, Kirill had just started high school.

It was one such night when she was patrolling and heard a commotion going on an alleyway. She was perched on a roof and carefully looked over it to see what was going on. She saw a young man cowering away from an older man.

"Dad! Please! I'm sorry!"

"I told you a thousand times and you still don't listen!"

The older man threw a bottle to the ground and it smashed into a thousand pieces, making his son flinch in fear as he backed up against a dumpster, cornering himself. The older man advanced, grabbing his son by the shirt and Bluebell didn't let it get any further than that, jumping into action and bashing her tambourine against his head.

"That's enough of that", she said, looking down at the fallen man in disgust before turning to the young man who was still cowering. "Are you alright?", she asked, reaching a hand out, only to pull it back when he flinched.

Looking closer, she could see some bruises on his face. She frowned in sympathy for him and instead, reached out to hold his hand. "You don't deserve to be hurt like this", she said.

"Freeze!", a deep voice boomed from the other end of the alleyway.

Bluebell sighed and turned her head, eyes widening at the absolute specimen of a man before her. Bluebell almost wanted to be handcuffed by him. She had never run into this officer before.

"Who are you?", she asked.

"Officer Ross. And you're under arrest", he declared, gun pointed at her.

"Officer Ross? Is that your first or last name?", she asked.

"My first name is Derick-wait, you don't ask the questions here! I do!"

Bluebell giggled and turned back to the victim she had saved. "Tell this officer everything you can. I have a feeling he can truly help you."

"Hey! Wait!", Derick shouted, gun still aimed, although he had no intent to shoot. It was too late anyway. Bluebell had used her grappling hook and had gotten away. She was unaware of the eyes in the adjoining apartment building that had watched the entire thing go down. He had sat by the window, watching with blank eyes as his father attacked his younger brother.

But they had widened with interest at the girl who had swooped in from nowhere and struck their father down with hardly any effort. She was magnificent.

Meanwhile, Bluebell tried not to squeal as she hurried off for home. Her cheeks red both from exertion and from that handsome officer. She found herself hoping her's and Derick's paths crossed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at first the guy getting abused by their father was going to become the main villain in the long run, but i decided to go in a different direction which means giving our eventual villain more depth and sibling parallels between our heroes and villains!
> 
> Next time! Kirill gets in on the action!


	2. It's Rewind Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am just now realizing that by doing this story, I was unconsciously filling the void in my heart left by Samurai Flamenco. So if you like naive kinda goofy guy puts on supersuit and falls in love with a cop, give that a try

It had been five years of this.

Five years of wearing the mask, smacking down criminals, running from cops, upgrading her weapons and her outfit as well. But after five years, Milla began to grow tired. She began to think that it was time to hang up the cape, so to speak. Hearing that Officer Ross had retired helped with that decision. She could admit now, after years of tangling with him, that she was absolutely smitten with him.

And that was part of the dilemma. If she gave up being Bluebell, that meant giving up seeing Derick, but in the end, she decided to go forth with her decision. There would be other handsome, kind, honest, gentle, hardworking men to be met in less dangerous fields of duty.

Kirill was just about to graduate high school as well. She had to change her priorities and that meant closing the book on this chapter of her life. But while Bluebell had become something of a public figure through the years, Milla let her go quietly. And a few months later, as she watched her brother march across the stage, the city had begun to get the message that Bluebell was out of the picture.

After the ceremony, Milla took Kirill out for a special lunch and afterwards he was going to a party with his friends. Back at their apartment, while Milla flipped through a magazine, tv playing a sitcom in the background, Kirill was looking for something snazzy to wear tonight. But nothing in his own wardrobe was cutting it. He poked his head out of his room to make sure his sister was still preoccupied before going into her room to look through her closet.

She always had interesting clothes. Especially in the back of the closet. So that was the first place he checked. But all he found was an outfit that looked incredibly familiar. He was reaching for it when

"What are you doing?!"

"Ow!", Kirill bumped against the wall as he jumped, causing a box on the closet shelf to fall. He pulled out the outfit as a bunch of newspaper clippings rained over him.

Milla's eyes were wide. Kirill's eyes were wide. Both siblings looked at each other, mouths agape. Each waiting for the other to take a breath and talk.

"So now you know", Milla finally said.

"How long?", Kirill asked.

"How long? Kirill, it's been five years since Bluebell debuted."

"That long?!", Kirill's voice cracked.

"You paid attention to her career", Milla said, remembering how Kirill would read about her exploits both online and in print. "Did you...really have no idea what I was doing?"

"No! How could I! You never talked about her unless I brought it up!"

Milla let out a breath. "Well, it's the truth. I'm Bluebell. Or, I was, until I gave it up."

"What?"

"What."

"You're Bluebell?", Kirill asked incredulously.

"Yes. What did you think I was confessing to?", Milla asked, brows furrowed in frustration.

"I thought you were telling me you're an obsessed Bluebell fan. There's no way you're actually her!"

Kirill threw the outfit on the bed and picked up one of the pictures. It was a front page, colored photo of Bluebell, waving to the camera as she swung by on her grappling hook. Milla rolled her eyes and grabbed the mask, putting it against her face. Kirill's mouth dropped again as he looked back and forth between her and the picture.

"You're her! You're really really her!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. Or rather, I didn't. You went snooping around in my closet and found out my secret." Milla put her hands on her hips.

"I wasn't snooping! I was looking for that green top!", Kirill denied.

Milla rolled her eyes. "So either way, you were doing something you weren't supposed to."

"You! You...you...you've really been fighting crime this whole time?", Kirill asked, everything finally setting in. Milla worked late nights often so he hardly thought of it. And who would ever suspect their sibling of being a vigilante that punched out bad guys with gadgets and weapons. Kirill once saw Milla tear up at stubbing her toe on the coffee table.

"I did. But that part of my life is over now", she said, crossing her arms and looking away from him.

"Why?! You're a hero! This city needs you!"

Milla rubbed her temples. "Kirill...maybe it does. But I can't keep doing this. I'm just tired. The city ran without Bluebell, they can go on without her. The green top is in my dresser."

She turned and left, returning to her magazine on the couch. Kirill grabbed the shirt he was looking for and went out to celebrate graduating with the rest of his classmates. He was happy to celebrate starting the next part of his life. He was going to start at the local police academy and start making a difference in people's lives.

But he kept thinking about Bluebell. About how close she had been. How close she was. He stumbled home, aided by a more sober friend and found Milla preparing for bed. She was in a bathrobe and face mask while perusing the fridge.

"I wanna be Bluebell!", Kirill shouted.

"What?"

Kirill grabbed her shoulders, interrupting her wrestling match with a jar of pickles. He was only slightly buzzed to be honest. Most of it was being drunk on adrenaline at the idea he'd had.

"Let me be Bluebell! You can teach me and I'll take your place!"

And the rest was history. Kirill still studied a bit of law, but he was mostly being trained my Milla in order to become the next Bluebell. He made his debut, met Doug-oh wait, there was one more thing.

Let's rewind just a bit. To before that.

But not all the way to the beginning.

Let's see, Milla becomes Bluebell, retires, Kirill finds out, asks to be Bluebell and STOP!

Just a few days after that, Milla was on her way to an interview. Now that Kirill was out of school and that she was no longer Bluebell, she decided to find a night job that was full time. She had seen and applied to quite a few listings and this was one of them. It was a bar, situated almost out of sight. But there was something charismatic about the facade.

She entered and saw that it was completely empty. It was only 3 in the afternoon, so that was to be expected, and the owner must be in the back.

"Excuse me?", she called out, walking deeper into the establishment. Her foot slipped on a wet spot and she fell forward onto her hands and knees, letting out a sound of surprise.

"I'm so sorry!", a man's voice said, rushing out. "I forgot to clean up that spill, are you alright?"

A hand was offered to Milla and she grabbed it as she looked up. "I'm...fine..."

Right before her eyes was none other than Derick Ross.

And the rest was history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this, we are out of the prequel years! What comes next is post Saved by the Bell and the real MEAT of the story
> 
> Up next! A little domesticity before we get to the action


	3. Girls Night

Deana kicked the door to the bar open while carrying an open bottle of champagne. "Girls Night! Girls Night! Girls Night!", she chanted.

The rest of their little gang, minus Travis followed behind her. Kirill was wiping down a table as they started filling in seats. "What's the occasion?", he asked.

"Sophie swiped Travis' credit card!", Deana exclaimed. "Yo, Milla! You in for Girls Night?"

"I'm not feeling all that girlish today", Valery answered.

"Then, what about tomorrow?", Kay asked.

"Tomorrow might be better", Valery said.

"Then tonight is Boys Night", Doug said, taking the wallet from Sophie's hand.

"If we're not doing Girls Night. I'm going home", Sophie said. "This place is filthy."

"Hey! I've been cleaning all day!", Kirill argued at her retreating back.

Doug came over and patted his head, instantly placating him. He always made fun of Valery for being so gone for Derick, but the same was true about him towards Doug. Just the smallest gestures had him swooning.

Boys Night consisted of a few drinks and some card games. At one point Apple suggested some strip poker which both Derick and Kirill adamantly refused. Derick had seen Valery in the nude before, but it was always after mentally preparing himself for it. Kirill had yet to get naked around Doug. But all in all, it was a rather mild, yet enjoyable night.

The next evening, Deana burst into the bar again, chanting 'Girls Night!' again. And this time, Milla answered in affirmation. After having some drinks at the bar, they left out, bringing Milla along with them who promised to be back at closing.

"Have fun!", Derick called after them.

* * *

A man tapped his finger against his desk, trying to have patience while having it thoroughly tested. Before him stood a man who was wringing his hands together. He could understand the other's nervous habit. But it wouldn't help him. It wouldn't change what had apparently happened.

"Tell me again. What happened?"

"We were loading up the product into the trucks, gettin' ready to distribute them, see?"

He nodded. So far, it made sense. Things had been going according to plan.

"And then, out of nowhere, that chick that goes around town came in. We don't know how she found out about the operation, but she started punchin' folks. And then the cops came in and busted everyone!"

"This 'chick'... The one who has been calling herself Bluebell?" He received a nod and waved his hand in dismissal. "She needs to be dealt with."

Matteo had taken over the family business after his father was murdered. Tradition had dictated that it went to his older brother, Romeo, but he simply wasn't cut out for the job. Things had been running rather smoothly since then, thanks in part to Bluebell's disappearance a couple of years ago. But then just as suddenly, she returned. Or rather, an impostor had taken her place.

He stood up from his desk and left the study to go into his bedroom. Matteo still remembered the original Bluebell vividly. He remembered the night she took down his father for beating on Romeo. It had only taken one hit. That hadn't stopped his father though. He was taken into custody, but money pushed him swiftly through the system with hardly any fanfare.

He had been back to hitting his oldest son and threatening the younger with the same treatment if he ever stepped out of line. Matteo never feared that though. He was the perfect son. And the perfect brother as well. It was why he gladly took the role as head of the family, releasing Romeo from the burden.

His room was neat and tidy and had very little in the way of personality, all except for what was in his closet. He opened the door and stepped into the large walk-in. At the end of it, hidden behind a rack of clothes that he pushed out of the way, was a poster. It was a blown up picture of Bluebell. The 'real' Bluebell. Matteo had been raised to admire power. And she was power incarnate.

He didn't know who this stranger was, pretending to be her, but he would snuff her out soon enough. Matteo knelt in front of the poster. Reverence showed on his face.

"Maybe if I remove this fake, you'll show yourself to me again. And this time, I won't let you go."

* * *

It was four in the morning and Max, Kay, Deana, Milla, and Yuri were standing on the street, watching the firefighters put out the blaze that was happening at that karaoke place. Kay was missing a shoe, one of Deana's ponytails was down, Max had a cut on her face, and a few buttons from Milla's shirt was gone. Yuri was the only one who appeared unchanged by their night.

Sophie had left (or ditched, according to Deana) much earlier that night, claiming to need some beauty sleep. She had missed out on the shenanigans that had led up to this point.

Deana let out a whistle as she surveyed the damage from afar. Not a bad way to spend the night. "So Milla, when are you and Derick getting hitched?"

Milla's head whipped so hard that it threatened to break her neck. "What?", she squeaked.

Deana simply shrugged. "Just askin'. Seems about time ya know? We could've died tonight."

"It wasn't all that bad", Kay denied just in time for the sign of the building to fall off.

"Like I said", Deana grinned at her serendipity. "You gotta live with no regrets." She chugged the the remainder of the champagne bottle in her hand and smashed it against the ground.

"Why would you do that? I don't have one of my shoes!", Kay shouted.

"No regrets!", Deana shouted back. "Now let's get some coffee!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Milla's in a bind! She'll need quick thinking to get out of it!


	4. Ring the Alarm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every hero has their weakness

"How have things been going?", Valery asked.

"Great!", Kirill smiled at his brother through the mirror as he put some moisturizer on his face. "Doug is taking me out tonight."

Valery rolled his eyes but smiled. "I meant with being Bluebell. You've been getting better, but what about the criminals. Some of them have been getting more bold."

"Are you talking about the guy who wanted to tamper with the city's hot sauce supply? His whole thing was about bold flavor, but he was actually pretty mild", Kirill said.

"Still, are you sure it's okay to take a night off? It's the weekend." And weekends always brought a rise in crime.

Kirill started messing with his hair, trying to make sure it was just right before just picking up a brush. Doug didn't get a lot of nights off. And neither did Kirill for that matter. But Derick had closed the bar tonight for some personal business and Doug was free for once. Which meant they didn't have to eat at a hole-in-the-wall diner at three in the morning.

They could actually go out and do stuff.

"If you're so worried, why don't you fill in for me, just for tonight?"

"First I do it whenever you get injured, then when you get sick, now I'm filling in for date nights? You know I never had someone to fill in for me, right?"

"That's because you never told me your secret", Kirill argued. "But if I had known, I definitely would have taken over whenever you went out with Derick."

Valery let out a sigh, knowing he was right. "If we keep doing this, more people will realize there's two of us."

"What's wrong with that? Maybe we can form a duo!" Kirill put the brush down and looked himself over in the mirror. Kirill finished getting ready while Valery began to prepare himself, wanting to be out of the house before Doug came to pick up Kirill.

Bluebell darted into the night, letting herself be seen more than normal. Tonight she didn't want too much excitement and sometimes just her presence was enough to deter crime. Truthfully, it was her night off as well and since Derick was out of town, she wanted to get home in time to enjoy it. Maybe catch up on a few episodes of that drama that was really popular now.

Thankfully, fate was on her side, and the only event that was worth mentioning was was happening upon a lost dog and returning it to the owners, refusing any reward. The night seemed relatively quiet, so at eleven, Bluebell disappeared into the shadows.

Returning home was easy. Thanks to the location of their apartment, no one ever saw Bluebell sneaking back through her bedroom window in the dead of night. She closed the window behind her, no longer mindful of being quiet about it now that Kirill knew and he wasn't even hear.

"Valery? Are you home?", Derick called out.

His voice was already so close. He must be in the hallway. Valery had given Derick a key to his apartment, that explained how he got in. But why was he here?! And now of all times? Bluebell sped over to the bedroom door and quickly locked it just as Derick knocked.

"Are you awake?", he asked from the other side. "Can I come in?"

"No!", Valery squeaked, face red. Why was it that this man had the power to make him lose his composure like this?

"Huh? Why? Are you okay?"

Valery wracked his mind for ideas. Derick had seen him in all states of undress. It would be weird to not let him into the bedroom for something like that. There had to be something. Something that Derick wasn't allowed to see.

"I'm wearing a wedding dress! It's bad luck for you to see!"

"...What?"

Valery let out a mental scream. Derick really did turn him into a fool. He was too powerful. He was acting like Kirill. But it had already left his mouth so he had no choice but to commit.

"Just...what for me to change. I'll be out soon."

Derick walked away, his footsteps fading and gave Valery a moment to breathe. He sunk down to the ground and just barely resisted banging his head against the door at his own stupidity. A few minutes later, he came out of the bedroom, Bluebell costumed switched out for a tank top and shorts. He knew Derick was easily distracted by a show of skin and he might need to seduce his way out of embarrassment tonight.

Valery found Derick in the living room, sitting on the couch. He came in, fidgeting with his hands, unsure of how to proceed before remembering that this was his boyfriend and not a wild animal.

"Would you like something to drink? I was going to make myself some tea." He didn't wait for Derick to answer before going into the kitchen.

Derick followed behind. "You know, I was out of town visiting family", he started and then continued when he heard Valery hum in reply, "My cousin just had a baby, so I was going to meet them. And afterwards I...wanted to see you."

Valery turned away from the tea he was making to face Derick. "You wanted to see me?"

Derick cleared his throat and looked away bashfully. "So, you were trying on wedding dresses, huh?"

Now it was Valery's turn to blush. "I uh, well, I passed by a shop today and I thought it'd be a fun thing to do, just to see what it would look like. Nothing serious", he said, looking at anywhere but his boyfriend.

He was nervous, Derick could tell. But Derick was nervous too. But something had been on his mind and apparently it had been on Valery's mind as well. So he took a step forward and met Valery's eyes, his voice firm and confident.

"Maybe we should make it something serious."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time! Derick goes to Kirill for help


	5. Team Up

Bluebell tied up the last of the criminals and took a step back with a sigh of relief. Tonight, she'd gotten a late start, not appearing until three in the morning. And now it was nearly six. Most of her night had been spent taking care of the Gorilla Gang and their boss Kong. He sat there, tied up and thankfully unconscious. His face was the pale, sickly type, but his huge size gave him the bite to back up his bark.

And when Bluebell was concerned, the bark was usually about, ugh, licking up her juices. She'd be glad to be rid of him and his minions. Their group had started to grow and it felt good to nip it in the bud. She got out of the warehouse just as the police showed up and made her way home.

Kirill collapsed onto his bed as soon as he undressed, not even bothering with putting away his costume or putting on pajamas as the sky was beginning to lighten. But there was hardly time to rest. He was supposed to meet up with Derick this afternoon to talk about something. Kirill could count on one hand the number of times Derick wanted to have a talk with him.

The first time had been when he asked for Kirill's blessing to date Milla. The second time was to give Kirill the shovel talk when he started going out with Doug. Kirill didn't have anymore siblings to give away and he wasn't dating any of Derick's other friends, so he didn't know what it could be.

"I want your blessing to propose to Milla", Derick said.

That. It could be that.

Kirill was sitting with Derick at a sushi place but with how frozen he was, you'd think it was an ice cream parlor. Derick and Milla...getting married. Derick and Milla getting married. Derick and Milla getting married. Kirill continued to repeat this phrase in his head, hoping the repetition would bring forth some clarity. And it soon did. He got a big smirk on his face and leaned back in his seat.

"Soooo, you're asking for my permission, are you? What makes you think you're worthy to be in the Vrubel family?"

"I love Milla with all my heart. More than anyone in the world. I'd do anything to make her happy. She's my universe", Derick answered sincerely.

Kirill felt himself melt at that, but he kept his face stony for the sake of keeping this up. He only had one other question. "Valery too?" Derick had been mistaken about Milla's gender identity at first. He'd come to understand and it didn't hinder their relationship at all. Derick was just as affectionate whether it was a Milla day or Valery day. But Kirill had to be sure, as Milla's only brother, to keep her from being hurt.

"Of course. As both", Derick answered. "To me, the body doesn't matter, only the heart."

Hearing that, Kirill allowed himself to melt on the outside as well. The love these two had for each other ran deep and true. And Kirill wouldn't stand in their way. He grabbed Derick's hands. "Let's go look at rings!"

That was how the two of them found themselves in a jewelry store not even ten minutes later. Derick had protested, saying that he still needed to save up the money for a good ring. It had only been a month since they had discussed marriage at length.

"This isn't a purchasing trip", Kirill said. "Think of it as inspiration for when you get the money for the real thing." He smiled through the glass separating them from the jewels.

"I like the way blues and purples look on Milla...", Derick started, looking at the selection as well. "But I notice she likes a lot of red gems."

A salesperson was just about to approach them when four people came in wearing ski masks, brandishing guns and holding empty bags. Kirill felt his heart seize up.

"Everyone on the ground!"

Before Kirill could react, Derick pulled him to the ground with him, holding him close. Kirill's thoughts were going a thousand directions. He didn't have any of his weapons or tools, but he could improvise. But would doing so be wise in front of Derick? So far, Derick had no reason to suspect him of being Bluebell. If he got up and took down these petty thieves, would that make him look suspicious?

Would it matter since Derick was joining the family? Milla might tell him about the whole Bluebell thing anyway. Kirill didn't know what to do here. Then he remembered Derick's status as a former cop.

"Why don't you do anything?", Kirill whispered while the gunmen walked to the cashier.

"It's not my jurisdiction. Besides, Milla will kill me if her baby brother gets hurt on my watch", Derick said.

"Quiet!", one of the men shouted, pointing their assault rifle at their faces.

Kirill rarely took kindly to that sort of thing and snapped, grabbing the barrely and twisting it away as he shot up, delivering a swift kick to the man's face. Derick's jaw dropped. Kirill jammed the butt of the rifle into the second thief's face and Derick recovered, using the distraction Kirill made to sneak behind the third, knocking him out from behind and taking his gun.

He pointed the weapon to the fourth, and possibly ringleader of the operation who was frozen at the register. Kirill held his stolen gun like a bat. The ringleader put his hands up in surrender, dropping his gun and the bag of money. The police arrived a few minutes later and some of them recognized Derick. He handled talking to them while Kirill tried falling back into his mild-mannered persona.

(It should be noted that not a single person who knew Kirill would describe him as mild-mannered)

* * *

"I don't usually go for short-haired broads, but that's some woman."

The man who made the statement was looking at the photo of an online article. Some lucky photographer had caught her mid-punch. Waiting for the family meeting to begin could be tiresome when the head took his time.

"You just like girls who can kick ass", another man said in reply.

There were five of them, dressed in suits and sitting around a table. One seat was empty. Matteo had yet to arrive. So the others filled the silence with small talk.

"You think she's just as fiery in bed?"

"She's been doin' this for so long, she's gotta be."

"That woman has only been on the scene for a short time", Matteo said, finally entering the room. Everyone silenced as he did, watching him take his seat. "This Bluebell is a different woman from the first."

"Either way, she's been a thorn recently. And you haven't done anything about it", one of the men said. Three of them were Matteo's uncles. The other two were long time family friends.

"I've been keeping her busy with little fledgling groups and foes", Matteo said. "Soon there'll be too many of them for just her. And we'll get the real one to show herself."

"You want two of them?!"

"We didn't make you the don so you could destroy everything our family's worked for!"

Matteo kept his face blank. "No, you made me the don because each of you thought you could use me as a puppet. How's that working out for you?"

Their silence and red faces spoke for themselves. Matteo stood up and walked around the room, hands behind his back. It was well known throughout the family that he had some kind of interest in Bluebell, but no one was aware of the true nature of it or how obsessive it was. But to him, the original Bluebell truly was the perfect woman.

"We need to take care of the both of them", he said, looking out the window and surveying his estate. "Not only will it rid us of a pest, but it will send a message to anyone trying to follow in their footsteps."

And he would get a wife fit for someone of his status. If it was the last thing he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time! More stuff happens! Doug is there! Stay tuned!


	6. Something Old

Kirill hummed to himself as he swept the floor of the bar. Both Derick and Valery were in the back, doing inventory. Doug was their only customer at the moment, having ordered his usual single beer though, he was mostly loitering while watching Kirill.

"What's got you in such a good mood?", Doug asked.

Taking a pause to look at his boyfriend, Kirill answered, "Just thinkin' about marriage." When one of Doug's eyebrows raised at that, Kirill quickly backtracked. "N-n-n-n-ot for us! Never for us! Well, maybe not never, but not right now!"

He put the broom off to the side and sat in the booth with Doug, getting in close with him so that he could whisper in a hushed tone without being overheard by his co-workers.

"Derick's going to propose. It'll happen any day now."

Doug smiled at that. "Those two are like an old married couple anyway", he said. He was happy that his friend and old partner found someone to spend the rest of his life with. "So...not right now for us, huh?", Doug grinned, unable to resist an opportunity to tease Kirill. He got red in the cheeks and started sputtering his words. And this time, he didn't disappoint, doing just that.

And Doug soaked in every second of it. Kirill realized this after a moment of flustering and glared, but to Doug it felt like being being threatened by a puppy. Kirill was simply too cute for it to have any effect.

"You did that on purpose", Kirill said.

"I did", Doug admitted, putting an arm around Kirill's shoulders.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're too diabolical to be a cop?"

"Derick used to say I had ingenuity."

"Actually, what I used to say is that you pulled ideas out of your ass", Derick said, coming out of the back.

"It's the same thing", Doug shrugged.

"It's not!", Derick and Kirill said.

At times, Kirill wished his secret identity wasn't so secret. Then he could swap stories with Derick on what it was like to work with Doug in the field. But alas, it was not meant to be.

* * *

On one of their days off, Kirill and Valery stayed in to catalog and discuss the enemies Bluebell had gone against recently. There wasn't a pattern per say, but their movements seemed strange to Valery's trained eye.

"Some of them are independent, yet their weaponry is getting more and more advanced", Kirill said. "I've had to dodge laser guns and darts programmed with my DNA."

"And then there's the gangs", Valery said. Their weapons were still mostly down to earth, but it seemed that their operations were getting more and more obvious. Bluebell was stopping them whenever she could, but it didn't get to the root of the problem.

"I should start going after their bosses", Kirill said, punching his fist into his palm.

Valery didn't even dignify that with a response, instead trying to use what he knew about the gangs of their city and trying to connect it all. He couldn't help the feeling that something bigger was going on behind the scenes. And that meant Kirill would need to be more careful whenever he went out as Bluebell.

"I think you should cut back on tackling gang warfare for now", Valery said. "It's too risky."

"What? Why do you keep doing this?", Kirill complained. "I bust my ass proving myself and you still doubt me!"

"I'm not doubting you", Valery argued. "I'm just saying it's dangerous. You've done great as Bluebell. But you're only human. If someone is planning something, they could ambush you."

Kirill crossed his arms. He hated it when Valery was right. "Maybe you should come with me then", he said.

"I can't be there to save you every time."

Unable to defend himself Kirill groaned and mussed up his hair. "Fine. I'll stay away from the gangs until stuff calms down. Happy?"

"I only want to keep you safe, Kirill", Valery said. He had never wanted his brother caught up in the vigilante lifestyle to begin with, but the cat had been long out of the bag.

And that was the closer for Kirill. As much as it frustrated him, he knew that Valery's concerns came from a place of love. So because of that, Kirill abstained from the more dangerous jobs (also the last time he went behind Valery's back, he got shot and Doug almost unmasked him).

So Bluebell kept to the lighter part of the shadows for a couple of weeks, although this didn't stop her from crossing paths with a certain detective. It was during one of these nights, where Bluebell was in the middle of chasing a couple of criminals on foot. The criminals were cut off by a car and Doug got out, gun in hand.

"Freeze! You're under arrest!"

But instead of seeing themselves as trapped between a rock and a hard place and surrendering, the pair of robbers both tried to square off against the officer and the vigilante. It was in the middle of this fight, that Bluebell's phone began to ring. She fumbled, dodging a punch in the process as she answered.

"Y-yes?"

_"Derick proposed!"_

"That's great!", Bluebell exclaimed.

_"Are you busy right now?"_

Bluebell landed a knee into the gut of her opponent, getting them to keel over. "No, I can talk. Tell me all about it."

"Your professionalism is astounding", Doug said sarcastically while handcuffing the crooks.

Bluebell just rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "Don't be rude. I'm on the phone."

She started to walk away and listened as Valery gave all of the details of Derick's proposal. How unexpected it had been, how romantic, how wonderful. The warmth welling up in her chest was cut short by the cold of steel wrapping around one of her wrists. She looked down to see one half of a handcuff. Bluebell rolled her eyes and looked to Doug.

"Seriously?"

"Bluebell, you're under arrest", Doug said before starting to read her her rights.

"Sorry, I'll have to call you back", Bluebell said into her phone. She hung up and pocketed it. Some people just never learned their lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Bluebell's enemies start to move!


	7. Crack the Whip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter shoulda been out sooner, I'm sorry yall. I forgot to put it on my updating rotation and just...yeah...so here it is now!

It was a chilly night and Matteo was watching news footage of Bluebell's latest rescue. A very lucky kid at the scene of a burning building had caught her swinging from a window, carrying an unconscious person and landing right in front of the emergency services. She was praised and beamed openly at the applause before whisking away.

She had Bluebell's mask, Bluebell's gadgets, and her costume. But she was not Bluebell. Normally, this would be where we get some insight on the villain but his story hasn't changed much since we last saw him, obsessed with the old Bluebell, running the family mafia and such. Besides, there's more important things to see.

* * *

"This is the one you chose?", Kirill asked, looking at the ring in the box. It was a simple silver band with a sapphire set in the center. It looked beautiful.

Derick nodded. "Think it'll get a warm reception?"

"Depends. How much did you spend on it?"

"I'm not telling you that", Derick said, taking the ring back from him.

Kirill huffed. "Why not? Did you get it cheap?"

Derick put the box in his pocket. "Because if I tell you, you'll tell Valery, and all I'm going to hear is how I shouldn't be so extravagant."

"I don't tell him everything. I can keep a secret", Kirill said, his mind going to a rather big one that he was keeping.

Not being privy to this secret, Derick only rolled his eyes in disbelief. To him, Kirill was like an open book. That was being read out loud. By the author. Who had written notes in the margins. Valery came out at that moment and he and Derick went off for their date. Hours later, Bluebell would receive the call about the proposal, a change that would certainly effect her civilian life.

And then promptly got handcuffed by Doug, because some things never changed.

* * *

The criminals in this city used to be relatively down to earth. But perhaps because a savior rose with a more flashy style, the villains began to follow suit. Valery had started out thwarting purse thieves and muggers and near the end of his vigilante career had fought actual costumed evil-doers with gimmicks of their own. And they had only grown in magnitude since Kirill took up the mantle.

Most were kind of silly even when they did pose a threat, others were sort of gross (Dr. Slime, seriously?). But there was one that Kirill absolutely hated going against and nearly had him pushing the costume back onto his sibling instead.

The Spidress.

A scientist who had developed spider legs and now used them along with hundreds of cybernetic spiders the size of some kind of exotic tarantula. Kirill knew they weren't real spiders. But they were still creep and crawly and still incredibly venomous. But not wanting to seem weak, he powered through their battles, taking thorough showers afterwards.

Bluebell was currently keeping the spiders at bay with a whip while Doug typed away at the computer, trying to get to some data that Spidress had. Bluebell had to admit that it was fun to swipe the robo-creatures away but she didn't want to do this forever.

"Are you almost done?!"

"Keep your pants on", Doug said.

Bluebell chanced a look at him and saw he was simply staring at the computer, waiting for a loading bar to fill up. "What are you doing?", she asked, kicking a spider away that got too close.

"Letting our tech guy handle the rest", Doug answered.

"Care to help me out then?"

Doug looked at the swarm of robot spiders and instead of doing anything about it, leaned against the desk and watched Bluebell work. "Seems like you've got it covered Miss Hero."

It was such a strange thing to love one's boyfriend so dearly and yet find him to be such an asshole. Such was the duality of being Bluebell. Doug waited until the loading bar was complete and then took out the usb drive he was using. He pocketed the little device and then got up on the desk, using the row of them to make a break for the exit.

"H-hey!", Bluebell called out at being left behind. The whipped away the next wave of spiders before getting up on the desk to take the same path. Before she could follow too closely though, Doug was smacked to the side by a giant robotic spider. This one was much bigger than the others. It was the size of a small car yet moved nimbly through the room.

"Doug!", she called out when he hit the opposite wall and fell to the ground, knocked out.

The legion of spiders put their attention on him and brought him over to Spidress who came out of the shadows that somehow still existed in the brightly lit lab. She smirked at Bluebell.

"Such a shame to hurt a pretty face. I'm sure we can find a use for you", she said, stroking his cheek.

"You let him go!", Bluebell demanded, cracking her whip threateningly.

"Such a temper." She snapped her fingers and the giant spider attacked, keeping Bluebell occupied while her other spiders began to move, weaving against the ceiling corner and sticking Doug to it. "You'll never get anywhere in life if you let rage control you."

The spiders began to cocoon Doug and even though they were real, Bluebell didn't want to find out what happened when the casing was finished. She would show Spidress just what her rage could do. With a cry of anger, she met the giant spider head on, getting an idea of its movements. It moved similar to its smaller brethren and seemed aware of the desks and computers, purposely avoiding them.

She whipped at the head but all that did was keep it at bay for a moment. It kept coming back with a full force and Bluebell didn't have much in the way of stopping it. The only thing that destroyed the spiders was crushing it with something heavy. That or-

"Of course!"

Bluebell stood up on one of the desks. The high ground gave her a bit of protection but she knew if she didn't act fast the spider would swipe at her the same way it did with Doug. She really hoped he was okay. She'd never seen him take a hit like that before. When the spider got close enough and stopped, raising a leg to hit her, she jumped onto its back and wrapped her whip around its neck, yanking until she felt it sway.

She jumped off when she felt it began to topple over and smiled in triumph as the beast fell onto its back and its legs wiggled helplessly in the air.

"I see you haven't finished that old _bug_ of yours", Bluebell jeered.

"Spiders are arachnids you imbecile!", Spidress shrieked.

"Yeah, but my pun wouldn't have worked with arachnid", Bluebell said, refraining from mentioning that she had graduated high school as a top student. And joking helped calm her nerves when she was absolutely terrified about what might happen to Doug. He still hadn't awakened and the spiders had gotten as far as wrapping up to his torso.

"Let the officer go", she demanded again, voice firm.

Spidress rolled her eyes. "Again with that? Maybe I should just end it. He did try to steal from me after all." She snapped her fingers and one of the spiders went up to Doug's neck, poised to sink its fangs into the flesh of his neck.

"NO!"

Quicker than lightning, Bluebell flung her whip and wrapped it around Spidress' neck, forcing her to the floor as she choked. A shocked expression mixed with pain as she gasped for air.

"Release him NOW!"

Spidress did just that and instead of poisoning him, the spiders used their sharp mandibles to cut Doug free. Bluebell pulled her whip back and attached it to her waist to catch Doug as he fell. Hoisting him in a more secure hold, she carried him out and away to safety. She was certain someone from his team was nearby. She just had to leave him within sight and make sure she had an exit strategy.

All the while, neither she nor Doug knew about the audience they'd had that night. Safely from the feed on his home computer, Matteo watched it all go down while sipping some tea. It was late at night, so he'd chosen chamomile.

"Interesting...", he said to himself, replaying Bluebell's reaction to the officer being threatened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe it or not, we're getting close to the climax
> 
> Next time! Derimilla start planning the wedding while Matteo starts planning trouble. Stay tuned!


	8. Have Your Cake and Fight it Too

Milla hummed to herself as she snipped some pictures from a magazine. She had already decided on a few things like her dress and hair. Right now she was looking for decoration inspiration.

"Is planning a wedding all that fun?", Kirill asked, hanging over the back of the couch.

"For now. And as long as I can make it", Milla answered. "I'm trying to have the least amount of stress possible."

And she was doing that by having a small ceremony, and planning to keep it simple. The Vrubel siblings had no family other than each other and only a few friends. Honestly a majority of the guests would be from Derick's side. But his friends had become Milla's friends too.

A tip that Milla had learned was not letting the businesses know that you were planning a wedding. Apparently they would jack up the prices because of that. So whenever Derick or Milla had to book someone in person, they did it separately and used specific language.

The planning continued for a few months, Kirill getting updates here and there. Even though they were going the cheaper route, it still seemed like hard work and Kirill wanted to stay out of it as long as he could. But of course, as the brother of one of the people getting married, he couldn't escape his duties forever. But as with most things, there was a part of it to look forward to.

Bonus 1: it was cake testing

Bonus 2: Doug was coming along

There was a nearby cake buffet that Milla wanted to hire for the wedding and sent Kirill to see if they were as good as their cakes looked. This was a duty that Kirill would happily take on.

"You know, I'm not the type to sit and eat cakes all day", Doug said as they found a table in the establishment.

"The hoard of anpan you keep in your apartment says otherwise", Kirill countered as he looked at the array of cakes from where he sat.

He got his plate and began to fill it with cake pieces while Doug got himself a cup of coffee. Kirill dug into his cakes the moment he sat down, enjoying them all thoroughly.

"Didn't Milla want you to take notes?", Doug asked.

Milla had in fact given Kirill a small notebook with which to write down his impressions of each cake. "I can remember what I think of each one", he argued. And if he couldn't, he could always eat more until he did remember.

Doug rolled his eyes but then smiled as he sipped his coffee while Kirill busied himself with a slice of chocolate. Sometimes he wondered how they worked so well together when they were so different, but maybe that was why. It had him thinking of something he'd been meaning to bring up for a while now.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do after they get married?", Doug asked.

Kirill wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Whatdya mean?"

"I mean, they'll be a newlywed couple", Doug said. "Isn't Milla going to move in with Derick?"

"She has been mentioning stuff like that", Kirill said, poking at a half finished piece. He smiled. "The more I think about it, the more excited I get. I've never lived on my own before."

"Is that so?", Doug said before sipping from his cup.

Kirill enjoyed the rest of his cakes and then went back for seconds, actually taking notes this time. Doug himself even had a slice of cheesecake, prompting some smug comments from his boyfriend.

After the tasting, they returned to the bar. The two of them entered, holding hands and the first thing they saw was someone holding Milla's hand. Someone who wasn't Derick. It was...well it was someone neither Doug nor Kirill recognized. Milla noticed them come in and shot them a smile while the man kissed her hand.

"H-hey! What're you doing?!", Kirill demanded, stomping forward.

He wasn't much older than Kirill, but his clothes were infinitely nicer, especially for getting a drink in a dive like this (no offense to Derick). His hair a light brown and eyes dark as he turned at the shouting. He released Milla's hand then.

"Kirill, you shouldn't shout at customers", Milla said in a stern voice.

"But he was-! You-!", Kirill pointed at the stranger accusingly. "What's your deal!?"

"Kirill!"

"No, my apologies", the man said. "I didn't realize before that you're engaged." He eyes the ring on the hand he had just kissed. "This must be the lucky fiance."

"I'm her brother", Kirill corrected.

"This is Mr. Martelli", Milla said.

"Please, call me Matteo. I was just complimenting your sister on her bartender skills. I may have gotten a little carried away."

Kirill nodded but didn't let his guard down. The man had explained and apologized, but he didn't look sorry. And now he was looking Kirill up and down. He knew what was happening. He was being sized up by this Matteo guy. Well, Kirill wasn't going to cower.

"You lookin' for a fight?", he challenged, putting up his fists.

He didn't see the face Milla made, but it was a bad one.

Like the way any person would look when their younger brother was threatening literally the only customer in the bar.

Kirill was going to get it later. He just had no idea.

"As entertaining as a honest-to-god bar fight would be, I must get going", Matteo said, moving closer to Kirill as he headed for the door.

Doug and Kirill moved aside for him, the younger keep his fists up in case the man tried anything. Customer or not, he always got a bad feeling when people would put their hands on his older sibling too familiarly. Matteo opened the door, but then turned slightly to look at Milla.

"You make a good cocktail. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again." And then he was gone.

"What was with that guy!?", Kirill shouted, still glaring at the door, unaware of the aura of punishment building up behind him.

"I think you've got bigger things to worry about", Doug said, having the ability to read the room for once. Most likely because his boyfriend was in danger of a sibling smackdown.

While Kirill was getting chewed on, Matteo was mentally salivating over the fruits of his efforts. After noticing Bluebell's reaction to that officer in danger, he demanded information on said officer and for his underlings to tell him more about interactions between the cop and Bluebell. It painted a very interesting picture, to say the least. And just earlier that day, he'd been told that Officer Doug Billingham frequented this bar.

Yes, today had been very illuminating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time! Relationships! Drama! Bluebell in peril as usual!


	9. Sirens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some mentions of blood and a bit of violence in this chapter

Doug wanted to be doing a million things other than what he was doing right now. It was past midnight and he could've been sleeping in bed, or cuddling up to a movie with Kirill, or connecting the clues to Bluebell's identity. Instead, he was doing neither of those things. To his dismay, he was in an empty warehouse on the outskirts of town, fighting Bluebell.

Which would have been fine on its own. He had always wanted to go one-on-one and finally arrest her. But not like this. Not when she was under the command of some criminal with mind control powers. Doug had even warned her that this new criminal could be dangerous, as more and more were popping up that had some kind of gimmicky theme or unheard of ability.

At this point it was only a matter of time before more vigilantes made their appearance. He couldn't think about that now though. Doug had to figure out a way to knock her out of her trance. The man who had done this to her wasn't a problem anymore, having been tied up by Bluebell before her brain was seized. And he was just a normal man outside that strange power.

"Get a hold of yourself!", Doug shouted. Before, he'd always been able to handle her fairly well. She was smaller than him after all. But now she was meeting him blow for blow like she'd been holding back every time he had cuffed her or otherwise tried to apprehend her. Doug himself was running out of options. His only weapon on him was his gun. Bluebell had an assortment but he could never tell which she was carrying on her.

She was currently going at him with pale blue brass knuckles while the captive villain laughed in the background at the show.

"Don't you protect the innocent and punish the villainous?", Doug asked. He let out a grunt when she landed a good punch to his cheek. Her movements were efficient and practical. Not a hint of the flair he'd come to expect from her. She was truly trying to end him. Doug got an idea but he didn't like it. He still swung and dodged, putting up a good fight but little by little, he let Bluebell get a few shots in. It wasn't hard. Apparently her mind taken over by a single goal made her a better fighter. His whole body would be bruised before this was over.

Doug finally fell to the floor, black eye and busted lip and nose bleeding. He dropped to his knees first, then to his side. His blood pulsed in his ears but he could still hear Bluebell stepping over to him. She turned him over onto his back and grabbed the collar of his shirt. Doug closed his eyes then, letting his last breath fall from his lips and then holding it. His record was one minute. He hoped that would be enough to convince Bluebell that he was actually dead and snap her out of it.

It worked, but not for the reason he thought.

Bluebell sat on his chest and grabbed the collar of his shirt, ready to deal the final blow when she got a good look at his face. She had done this. Of course. It was as her master had commanded. And her task was nearly done. But...she couldn't have done this. Bluebell only hurt people who deserved it. And Doug...well Doug was an ass, but he was just doing his job. He was only doing what he believed in. That's one of the reasons why...why...

"Finish it!", a gruff voice yelled at her.

Bluebell froze completely and dropped Doug. Her eyes began to prick with tears. "Doug? Doug! Are you okay? Hey! Wake up!" She started patting his face to rouse him, the spell on her broken. Doug opened his eyes. Forgetting herself for a moment, Bluebell hugged him tightly. When she realized what she was doing, she released him and quickly stood up, clearing her throat.

"You-you should take him into custody", she said, pointing to the tied up man. "He's all yours."

"Were you just-", Doug let out a grunt as he sat up. "Crying for me?"

Bluebell sniffed and looked away. "No! I was crying because you got blood all over my brass knuckles. And they're so pretty too." She took out a cloth to wipe them as best as she could and then put them away. She turned back to Doug, giving him a once over and trying not to cry again. "Make sure you get looked at before going home tonight."

With that final statement, she made her escape into the night, allowing Doug to arrest the man. Doug took no precautions and made sure the man was gagged so he couldn't control anymore people. He did have someone help patch him up after handing off the criminal to his colleagues. And once he finally got home, he wanted nothing more than to crash for about twelve hours. But just as he stepped into his apartment, his phone rang. It was Kirill.

"You're up late", Doug said when he answered.

 _"I just wanted to call you. Got a problem with that?"_ , Kirill's voice sounded almost childish.

"Was there a particular reason?"

_"I just had a feeling. I wanted to make sure you were okay."_

Doug went deeper into his apartment and checked out a window, certain for a moment that he'd seen something out there. When nothing moved, he turned away so he could warm up some leftovers to eat before bed.

"I'm fine. What about you? Didn't you have to help with invitations today?"

Bluebell stood completely still in her spot outside Doug's apartment, perched on the walkway. That had been a close one. After leaving the scene of the crime, she hadn't been able to relax and instead followed Doug to make sure he got home okay.

_"I did. It was torture."_

"It sounds like you called to make yourself feel better", Doug smirked.

_"Fine. See if I ever call you again."_

The petulance in his boyfriend's voice sounded remarkably similar to one Violet Vigilante and it was easier to see after hearing one right after the other. Doug hated finding commonalities between Kirill and Bluebell, but it was getting harder and harder not to see them.

_"Are you eating that pasta you made two nights ago?"_

Doug froze. "How did you know?"

_"IIIIIII...I just know you is all. You need better eating habits. And sleeping habits. Take better care of yourself. I love you. Good night."_

"I love you too. Good night."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Bluebell hung up and took off for home for real this time. She felt a little lighter now. It was scary to know she was capable of inflicting that sort of damage on someone. Especially someone close to her. She tried not to dwell too long on it. The man was behind bars now and she had more pressing matters. Like getting her clothes dry cleaned before Milla saw the blood on them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, if I do this right, we'll have about 2-3 more chapters to go!
> 
> I actually had some ideas for more villains, but I think I'll save that for oneshots in the future


	10. The Day Before the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> would you believe me if i said i wanted to finish this chapter closer to the beginning of this month?  
> would you believe me if i said i can't write action scenes for shit?

Valery ran a hand through his hair while Doug mirrored him unconsciously. Sometimes they drummed their fingers against the table together. They both looked incredibly in sync as they rifled through documents at their shared space in one of the bar's booths.

"It's nice of Doug to help out with the last minute stuff", Derick said while wiping down the counter.

"Hm?", Kirill looked up from his sweeping. He looked over at Doug and Valery. "Doug's not working on the wedding. He's looking for leads on Bluebell."

At that, Valery looked up from what he was doing and looked at the papers that were mixed in with his wedding plans. "Are you serious? Doug this stuff is all mixed up with my stuff!"

"What did I tell you about investigating in my bar?", Derick reprimanded him, trying to separate the papers.

"I'm onto something. I can feel it", Doug said, rubbing his temples.

"What you feel is your brain throbbing against your skull", Kirill said, poking Doug's temple. "Do you two realize how late it is?"

Doug and Valery both looked at him with annoyed expressions but they both lost their visual bite with the dark circles under their eyes. Derick and Kirill both shared a look with each other. Derick picked Valery up. It was a testament to how tired he was that he barely protested. Kirill reorganized both piles of files and then sat in the booth next to Doug.

"Hey, the bar's closing. Let's get out of here", he whispered warmly into his boyfriend's ear.

Doug didn't answer at first, and for a moment Kirill was sure that he hadn't been heard. Then, "Are you trying to seduce me?"

Kirill snorted. "Only with sleep. If you took me to bed right now, you'd probably pass out on top of me."

Doug made a sound that said 'challenge accepted' but he still didn't move. Kirill watched him for a moment, amusement dancing on his features before taking pity and standing up, grabbing the Bluebell files.

"I'll be out in the car", he said, twirling Doug's keys around his finger.

Kirill was waiting in the driver's seat for about two minutes before he saw Doug come out of the bar. Kirill drove back to his apartment, knowing Valery would be spending the night at Derick's. Kirill hoped he'd be able to de-stress Valery. But for now he'd settle for all of them getting a good night's sleep.

The wedding was in a couple of days.

The next morning, Doug woke up before Kirill and took a moment to just watch him sleep. Kirill was by no means a beautiful dreamer. His hair looked like a bird's nest, his eyes were crusty, and there was some drool dried up on his cheek. But right now to Doug he was the most handsome man in the world. He kissed Kirill's forehead and then got out of bed.

At the movement, Kirill stirred and got a blurry eyeful of shirtless chest while Doug stretched. He only wished his eyes were awake enough to properly take it all in. After getting up and washing the crust from his eyes, Kirill was able to enjoy Doug's shirtlessness. Especially when he rested against that bare chest, sitting in Doug's lap while eating cereal.

"You've made yourself rather comfortable", Doug said, amused.

"Says the man who slept in my bed last night half-naked."

"I seem to remember you were the one who removed my clothes."

"Because shoes aren't allowed in my bed", Kirill said, throwing a corn flake behind him at Doug's face. Then he heard crunching. "Did you just catch that with your mouth?"

Before Doug could answer, the news turned from a puff piece to a breaking headline. It was another villain, which was strange on its own. Normally the freaky kind didn't come out until night. But as the newscaster reported, it was clear that this was no ordinary villain. As the camera focused, Kirill was able to take them in. A white mask covered their entire face while a black cape billowed out behind them.

"Bring me Bluebell and the damage will be minimal!", he demanded from atop a building. To illustrate his point, he pressed a button on a remote and a few windows below exploded in flames.

Kirill jumped to his feet. "I've gotta go!"

"Go where?", Doug asked as he stood as well. "You're staying put."

"I uh-I mean I uh-the caterers! They work downtown in that area! I gotta make sure they're okay. The wedding is tomorrow!"

"Kirill", Doug said, putting his hands on the other's shoulders. "You're panicking. Stay here where it's safe. I need to get to the precinct and see if they need me."

Kirill was still holding the half-eaten bowl of cereal, bouncing in place as he waited for Doug to get dressed. He needed to get out there and save those people but he couldn't leave without tipping off Doug.

When Doug was finally prepared to leave, Kirill gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and a long look in the eyes. "Come back to me in one piece."

"Roger that", Doug smirked.

Kirill gave him another kiss before letting him go. In that time, more explosions had wracked through that one building and the man was threatening to do it to others. Kirill sped through getting dressed and leaping into action. Bluebell didn't slow down for a second and by the time she arrived, she felt the adrenaline coursing through her. She landed on the building with the mysterious villain, wind blowing their clothing.

"All this trouble for little old me?", Bluebell said, trying to keep the tremble from her voice. If she wasn't careful, he might set off more bombs.

"Not for you", the man said. "The real Bluebell." He pressed another button and an explosion from father away went off.

"Stop that!", Bluebell shouted just as a news helicopter flew by them.

"I won't stop until the real Bluebell reveals herself to me!", the villain said, facing the camera in the copter, meaning to get a direct message to his intended. But that moment of distraction was just enough to give Bluebell an opening to kick the remote away from him.

"Who are you!?"

"You can call me whatever you like. You're not Bluebell, so it doesn't matter."

"Then I shall call you The Ass", Bluebell said, deciding to end this with a few punches.

She was taken by surprise when not only did he completely deflect her but as he did, he simply tossed her over the edge of the building. She heard the people in the helicopter scream as she fell. Bluebell took out her grappling hook and got it latched onto the edge of the building just in time. She swung back up and landed on her feet. Now she was angry.

Bluebell took out her tambourines and started advancing on the masked man again. In the back of her head, she was thinking how she needed to get them back on the ground. Things were too precarious on top of a roof. The decision was made for her when their tussling got them both falling from the building but this time Bluebell was ready.

She got her grappling hook latched onto the helicopter, keeping a tight hold on the villain as well. The pilot saw her and knew what to do. Slowly it began to descend until they were a safe distance from the ground. The news copter was then given the order to clear the area. The building had already been surrounded by cops and once they hit the ground, each of them held up their guns. Before Bluebell could react, her arms were restrained behind her back by the terrorist.

"Nobody move or the impostor gets it!"

Bluebell rolled her eyes at his claim. She knew her predecessor had her fans but this was ridiculous. Speaking of people obsessed with Bluebell, her eyes spotted Doug among the crowd of police. She had to figure out a way to take care of this bomber while keeping her identity safe. And her body. Turns out the universe only had two out of the three in mind. One second she was being held captive. The next, she felt a kick to the face, knocking her away from her captor. When she looked up, she was surprised to see Bluebell standing above her.

The original, in all her glory.

"What was that kick for?!"

"I was saving you. And getting payback for eating my egg roll."

Right next to each other, it was easier to see the difference between the Bluebells. Kirill's outfit favored white, blue, and purple in that order. And he kept his hair the same as his civilian self. Whereas Valery's classic outfit favored blue, purple, and white in that order. And he always put his hair up in a ponytail with a perfectly curled ringlet at the end.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, Bell, I thought you could use a little help."

"Thanks uh, uh B-Blue?"

"Not at all", Blue said. "Now let's take care of this fellow who obviously has no respect for a woman in retirement."

"You're finally here", the man said, opening his arms wide as if his preferred Bluebell would come running into his embrace. Instead, Blue put up her fists and Bell followed suit.

"You've made a big mistake. Endangering civilians, hurting innocents, attacking my sister. You should be ashamed of yourself", Blue said.

"I did it all for you, Bluebell. Now we can finally be together."

"Blech", Bell wretched. "Gross."

"Bell, please. Have some grace", Blue said, mindful of the hundreds of eyes watching them right now.

"He's the sicko!"

"You see? She doesn't hold a candle to you", the villain said, taking a step towards Blue, only stopping when a cop yelled 'freeze!'. "She's nowhere near your level of excellence and dignity."

"Just because she's a different kind of Bluebell doesn't mean that she's any less a hero. She's just as courageous and selfless as I ever was!", Blue shouted.

"Yeah! Just because you're stuck in the past doesn't mean we all are", Bell cosigned.

"As long as people live, people will change. It's called progress."

"And as long as there are those who harm, there will be those who protect."

"Sometimes those protectors might have someone else take up the mantle, but their values and morals will ring true with each one that follows the path of righteousness."

"Loving a hero is fine, but you've gone past that into manic fanaticism."

Both Bluebells stood side by side and pointed a finger at their enemy, saying in perfect unison, "You need to get a life!"

When the cheers from onlookers died down, the man simply laughed. "I don't need to bother with fakes anymore now that the real Bluebell is here."

The two Bluebells split up to attack him, trying to take advantage of the two-on-one situation. Despite their earlier words to freeze, the police remained still while the costumed folks duked it out. In the chief's eyes, if they tired themselves out, law enforcement could put away three high profiles at once. And of course, the Bluebells thought they would get through this with the criminal in handcuffs and their skins saved from a de-masking and arrest.

That all went out the window when Blue felt a collar wrap around her neck in the middle of the fight. An electric pulse rocked through her body, bringing her to her knees with a pained scream.

"Blue!", Bell cried out.

Another shock jolted through Blue as Bell rushed over to her, but the masked man got there before she did, picking Blue up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"You let her go!", Bell shouted.

He answered with a bit of smug laughter as rockets extended from his boots, igniting and launching him in the air along with his unconscious victim. He lifted into the air, flying around sporadically. The only hope Bell had was her grappling hook but it was no help here. Even as she held it up, she knew she couldn't get a good grip on a person of all things, especially one flying through the air.

After they disappeared into the sky, Bell dropped the grappling gun in despair, not even reacting as the cops swarmed her and Doug cuffed her for what must have been the third time that month. Her rights were read to her as she was loaded into Doug's cruiser and taken to the station.

All that talk and she had failed. She had failed the city, those people, and Valery. Maybe she didn't deserve to wear the mask after all. As she was thrown into a cell within the station, she could only think of what her sibling was going through under the hands of that lunatic.

The answer was soft, fluffy pillows and diamond bracelets and anklets that weighed about two pounds each around both wrists and ankles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite the pickle, huh? Tune in next time for the exciting climax!


	11. Joining Forces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied. The next chapter is the climax AND the conclusion

Bluebell didn't even react when she was put into a cell. Her wrists were still handcuffed and she was left alone with her failures. What was she going to do? She didn't even know where to begin looking. And her predecessor could be in the middle of torture right now. She could have her identity revealed. And the wedding was tomorrow!

"Are you ready to talk?", Doug asked, leaning against the bars of the cell.

"Please, you have to help me save her", Bluebell said.

"Oh, we intend to find the original as well as her captor and get them both behind bars." Doug was feeling absolutely triumphant in regards to getting this Bluebell arrested. Now he just had to get the other one here. As well as the man who had set off those bombs.

"Let me help you!", Bluebell begged. "I need to find her!"

"And when we do, you'll just end up escaping like you do every time", Doug said, arms crossed. "I don't think so."

Bluebell's eyes glistened with held back tears. She had to save her sister. And she knew what she had to do in order to let Doug release her.

"I won't run away this time", Bluebell said. "If you help me save her, then I'll turn myself in. You won't have to chase me anymore."

"And the other Bluebell?"

She got down on her knees and bowed her head. "I took on her name. I'll take on her punishment."

"...You're serious? You'd do that for someone like her?"

"She's my sister. And she got captured because she was helping me. Because I wasn't strong enough. Please. You have my word. On my honor as Bluebell."

Doug squatted down on her level and gaze at her eyes through the mask. Rarely did he ever get this close to her face. He could tell that she was holding back tears. He could also see that her eyes were a beautiful shade of bluish-grey. In fact, they reminded him a lot of Kirill's eyes.

"One slip up and you're done. If I think for a second that you're about to cross me, you'll be right back here", Doug said.

* * *

"Anyone else thinking about how much Bluebell looks like Doug's boyfriend?", Deana said, scratching her nose.

"There's no way that Bluebell is Kirill", Kay whispered in a harsh disbelieving voice.

The agents of Seven-0 were gathered around Apple as he watched footage from the incident on a large computer screen and tried to find discerning characteristics on either the original Bluebell or the bomber. New Bluebell was in the room as well, still cuffed, and right beside Doug.

"This would be so much easier if she had some kind of tracker on her suit or something", Apple complained as he followed their fight and flight through cameras put up around the city.

"Then it would be that much easier for you cops to hack into the tracker's network and figure out where we live", Bluebell said, rolling her eyes.

"He flies out of the city after getting your partner", Apple said. "But from the trajectory there aren't many places he could have gone. This area doesn't have a lot of buildings. It's mostly forest."

"The Martelli family mansion is in that direction", Doug said.

"You don't think the mafia is behind this?", Max asked.

"Neither of us ever personally crossed the Martelli family", Bluebell said. "But we're always stopping criminals from all sorts of things, drugs, money, people. One of those low-lives could have been connected to them. But..."

"But?", Doug prompted.

"That guy was obsessed with getting the 'real' Bluebell. I think he knew there were two of us. I just don't know why he cared."

"Must be somethin' personal. Did your sis ever date anyone crazy like that?", Deana asked.

"Never! And she happens to be engaged to a very respectable man right now."

"Well, we have our lead. Now we need to stake out the area and figure out if she's actually there", Doug said.

* * *

The weights on her wrists and ankles weren't really that heavy. But they were annoying. Especially when the maid came in and completely ignored her. She had taken in everything about her situation. Unfamiliar location, but not unwelcoming. Restrained but still capable of some movement. Her outfit was still intact, as was her mask. Hopefully that meant her identity wasn't compromised.

"Awake now, are we?"

She recognized that voice as the man who had kidnapped her. But he was no longer hiding behind a disguise. He was dressed rather smartly, if quiet plain, in a blue button-down and black slacks.

"Where am I? Why did you bring me here? Who are you?"

"I feel wounded that you don't remember me, but I understand. This is technically our first meeting after all."

"What are you talking about?"

"Years ago, you saved my brother who was being beaten by our father. I never forgot how magnificent you looked that night. And it stayed with me my entire life. And as I watched more of your exploits it became very clear to me what had to happen."

The weights felt heavier. She didn't like where this was going. She watched as he got down on one knee and produced a small black box from his pocket.

"Will you marry me?"

"...I don't even know who you are. And it just so happens that I'm already engaged. To a wonderful man who wouldn't handcuff me to a bed...Not unless I asked."

"It's unfortunate that you refused. I suppose now I'll have to use force."

When she saw him reaching for her face, she thrashed around but there wasn't much space for her to move. He took a hold of her mask and removed it, revealing Valery's identity underneath.

"There's that beautiful face. Now then, let's get to know each other a little better..."


	12. Wedding Bells

Doug found it worrying how many similarities he could see between Kirill and Bluebell. He didn't want it to be true, but the moment he started considering that his boyfriend might be Bluebell, they began to match more and more. Bluebell spoke a little differently, but when she was irritated she sounded exactly like Kirill.

"Why are you getting a civilian involved?", Bluebell asked, annoyance clear in her voice when Derick was brought into the back of the van.

"He's a former detective", Doug said. "And the suspect has been frequenting his establishment. He's crucial to the plan."

"And no one else can do it?!", she snapped.

"Everyone else has their role already."

Bluebell buried her face in her hands. If things went south here today, Doug and Derick could find out both of their identities. And what a failure on her part that'd be.

Kay drove the van and Deana was in the passenger seat while Bieber sat at a setup in the back, typing away at his keyboard. Max and Yuri drove alongside them on a bike. It felt to Bluebell that they had more than enough people, but she wasn't the expert in cop operations, just in avoiding them.

"Everyone ready? We're almost there", Kay announced.

They were truly well and out of the city. In fact, there wasn't much for miles other than forest. Bluebell took a deep breath. Before, her tools had been confiscated after being arrested, but a few had been returned for the express purpose of this mission. The operation began when Derick switched places with Kay and drove up to the gate.

Bluebell and Doug had already exited the van and snuck past the gate to secretly enter the mansion from a servant's entrance. Doug got them in but after that, Bluebell led the way. She had been through enough of these secret lairs to know how to get into one. And of course, it was the old 'pull a certain book from the library shelf' shtick.

Bluebell had been training for something like this every night that she donned the mask and took down villains. She wasn't, however, prepared for the magnitude of this lair. The bookshelf slid open to reveal and elevator and after going down, the doors parted. Beyond them was a room that seemed to span the area of the entire mansion. It was a laboratory but it was suspiciously empty.

Normally she would have moved more cautiously but Bluebell saw her predecessor. Unconscious, in a wedding dress, and chained to a chair. Bluebell ran out and rushed right over while Doug took his steps slowly. Not only was he trying to be more careful while in the enemy's keep, but he could clearly see that that was was Kirill's sibling sitting in that chair.

Bluebell nudged them awake and with a groan, their eyes opened. Their eyes took in Bluebell. And then widened when they realized Doug was there too.

Doug took another step forward. "You...You're..." His eyes then snapped to Bluebell, pieces falling into place.

Bluebell realized what Doug was finally figuring out and she stood protectively in front of Milla. Before either of them could say anything else though, slow clapping echoed through the room.

"Congratulations on getting this far", Matteo Martelli said as he exited a door from the other side of the room, presumably another hidden entrance in the house.

Bluebell brandished a tambourine. "You're going to release her this instant!", she demanded.

"You are in no position to order me around", Matteo said. "From where I stand, I'm a private citizen, being threatened by a vigilante. As well as being unjustly investigated. Tell me officer, do you have a warrant?", he pointed the question to Doug.

"I think the fact that I have more than enough evidence to connect you to all the super crimes happening lately will more than make up for the part where we broke into your house", Doug said.

Only then did Bluebell look around and truly see that this lab had several weapons. Ones that had been used against her. A rich mafia boss developing weapons wasn't too out of the box. She just couldn't think of the reason why.

"You'd be surprised at what a judge would let slip through the cracks", Matteo said.

"Matteo Martelli, you're under arrest for unauthorized weapons development and kidnapping", Doug said, taking a gun out.

"Now, now, let's not make a scene. Today is my wedding after all." Matteo walked leisurely over to a pair of gauntlets and put them on.

"I'm not marrying you", Milla said, still a little out of it from just waking up after having been knocked out twice today.

"You will. And I'm sure in time you'll see that it was the right choice. Much better than marrying a mere drink slinger. And if not, well, I think you two are well acquainted with a colleague of mine who is very good at voice commands." He pointed that last bit to Bluebell and Doug, reminding them of the one time Bluebell had almost finished him off.

So he had been behind that villain as well. And probably Spidress too. As well as everyone Bluebell had fought the past few months. Because of this one man, so many people had been hurt. Doug had almost died. Milla had been kidnapped. All those people during the bombing.

"You're a monster!", Bluebell shouted, going at him with a tambourine in each hand.

Doug put his gun back in its holster and instead took out a pair of pale blue brass knuckles. In his mind, there wasn't a better weapon to take this man down with now. He attacked Matteo in tandem with Bluebell. It always felt weird whenever they had to work together. But now it was even stranger knowing who was really under the mask.

That was Kirill wielding a musical instrument like the deadliest weapon on earth. Kirill, who needed two spatulas to flip a pancake; who had slipped on a spot that he'd mopped himself; who had trouble carrying more than two things at once. Once Doug was able to put the idea of Kirill and the idea of Bluebell together, it seemed so obvious. Especially when put to the fact that Milla had been his predecessor.

Milla's style had been more elegant, which matched with the graceful way she mixed drinks. Whereas Kirill had his flair too, but it was more rough and unpolished. Really the most unbelievable part was that Kirill was able to keep it a secret for this long.

"Milla?!", Derick's voice rang out as he came through the same entryway as Matteo had.

"How did you get down here?", Matteo growled.

"I followed you", Derick answered, then looked to Doug. "Kay said you weren't answering your comms. What the hell is going on down here? Why is my fiancee chained to a chair?"

Matteo chuckled. "My word, so you don't know. You were going to marry this woman and you didn't even know her biggest secret?"

Derick ignored him and rushed over to try and remove Milla's restraints. While he did, Doug and Bluebell went back to fighting Matteo, trying to take him down. But he was no slouch when it came to fighting. And those gauntlets packed a punch. Neither of the two crimefighters were spared a couple a licks.

It turned out though, that these weren't just metallic boxing gloves. They hid a secret. Matteo dodged a hit from Bluebell and just as Doug came in with one of his own, Matteo swerved out of the way and grabbed Doug's wrist. The gauntlet lit up and an electric shock rocked through Doug's body. He let out a tight grunt and fell to his knees.

"You're gonna pay for that!", Bluebell shouted. She took him one-on-one, the bells of the tambourine tinkling as she did. She finally landed a shot on his cheek and it was at that moment that Milla punched Matteo on the other cheek. He crumpled to the floor like a stack of bricks.

Bluebell turned toward Milla, in shock. "How did you?!"

She pointed to Derick, a proud smile on her face as he leaned against the chair, bonds released.

"I've been tied up once or twice", Derick explained without really explaining.

Doug picked himself off the floor slowly and put Matteo in cuffs. Now that everything was winding down, the realization was coming on to them all of what had just been revealed.

"Are you mad? That I kept it from you all this time?", Milla asked.

"No", Derick said easily. "I know you had your reasons. I just can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner. Especially with Kirill being the new Bluebell."

"Wait! You knew?!", Bluebell squawked, removing the mask now that it was confirmed everyone in the room knew.

"You were always leaving so suddenly at the oddest of times", Derick said with a shrug. "That and you got really twitchy whenever Doug brought Bluebell up."

Kirill then turned to look at Doug, who was still standing over Matteo's unconscious, handcuffed body. He froze, not sure how to proceed. He had always imagined fantasies were Doug found out and just fell in love with him more. It balanced out the nightmares that Doug would instantly hate him if he knew.

"Um...well...?", Kirill prompted, unable to take Doug just staring at him like that.

"...Give me a minute", Doug finally said.

A minute meant multiple minutes, because before Doug spoke to Kirill again, they got Matteo in Seven-0 custody and were on their way back to the city. Both Kirill and Milla had put their masks back on to keep their identities secret from everyone else. And during the ride, Milla and Derick tried very hard to keep their obvious flirting to a minimum.

Kirill had been ready to be back in cuffs himself when they arrived to the station, but to his surprise, Doug let both him and Milla go.

"Consider it the force's thanks for helping to bring in a man behind the city's largest crime ring. And that will be our only concession", Doug said before releasing them.

"Let's not overstay our welcome", Milla said. "I'll see you at home", she whispered to Derick before pulling Kirill along.

Kirill didn't hear from Doug for the rest of the night. He was hoping it was only because he must have a ton of work to do after bringing Matteo in. Kirill kept himself busy helping Milla with last minute preparations for the wedding.

And then morning came. And Milla wore the dress she had picked out for herself, not one that had been forced on her. Kirill was helping her put the finishing touches on her veil. He was dressed in a very nice (rented) suit with a violet tie. Only after the reveal had Derick truly understood why Milla wanted the color scheme to be blue and purple.

She had even gone as far as finding a dress with a bit of a plain design and adding the detailing herself. Purple laced over the torso, the arms, and the top of the skirt.

"I'm not looking!", Derick announced as he came into the room, eyes covered. His suit was a royal blue color. "I have a message for Kirill to come to courtyard. That is all", he said, turning right back around to avoid seeing Milla before the wedding.

"What's that about?", Kirill asked.

"You should go and see", Milla replied. She had a feeling what it was.

Kirill went outside and there was Doug, dressed up for the occasion. Kirill didn't know what to say. There was too much to say. So he said the first thing that came to mind.

"You came", he breathed out.

"I'm Derick's best man", Doug deadpanned. "But I wanted to talk to you before things started."

Kirill went stiff, trying to brace himself for what his boyfriend might say. "Okay."

"I still don't agree with Bluebell's methods. I think the law can handle things just fine", he said, stepping closer to Kirill, face stern. "But...knowing you, and knowing where you came from, I can see how you would disagree. It's understandable that you'd want to take things in your own hands."

"So, you're not...mad? You don't hate me?"

"I could never hate you", Doug said, now toe-to-toe with Kirill. "Just...don't make it so obvious when you're going to out to thwart somebody. Otherwise I'd be forced to arrest my boyfriend for being a vigilante."

Kirill jumped into Doug's arms and kissed him all over his face, despite his protests that they were both still bruised from last night and that they were messing up their suits for the event happening in less than five minutes.

And after that five minutes, Doug and Kirill took their places on either side of the altar, Derick waiting for Milla to walk down the aisle. When she appeared in the doorway, she beamed at Derick, and gave him a tiny wave, which he returned as she made her way down the aisle. The rest of the wedding was perfectly lovely and a day that none of them would forget.

Hours later, Doug laid on his couch and Kirill laid on top of him, picking at a piece of wedding cake. Doug was playing with Kirill's hair when he spoke up.

"Move in with me", he said.

"Move in? With you? You really want me to?", Kirill asked, putting the cake down.

"It's only so I can keep an eye on the masked woman that runs through the streets."

"And because you looooo~ve me", Kirill grinned, looping his arms around Doug's neck.

Doug wrapped his arms around Kirill's waist, keeping their bodies pressed together. "I want to keep an eye on you because I love you. The two reasons aren't entirely separate."

Kirill smiled and kissed Doug's lips. "My hero."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Thanks everyone for reading, kudos-ing, and commenting! It was a fun ride :)
> 
> Matteo's dress: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61WKRMlohuL._AC_UX569_.jpg  
> Milla's dress: https://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00KaGRFechgWoU/Purple-Lace-Floral-Bridal-Gowns-Flowers-Puffy-Wedding-Dress-2018.jpg


End file.
